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Sea and Air Deaths Sirs: TIME, MARCH 29, P. 38. ERRED WHEN IT STATED "MANY WERE CONVINCED THAT IN TWO YEARS THE GOVERNMENT COULD GO A LONG WAY TOWARD MAKING THE AIR AS SAFE AS IT HAS MADE THE SEA IN THE PAST TWO." I TRUST TIME WILL PRINT THE FACT THAT IN 1935, ON THE GREAT LAKES AND HIGH SEAS 355 OF 411,825 PASSENGERS ON AMERICAN MERCHANT VESSELS LOST THEIR LIVES. IN THE SAME YEAR COMMERCIAL AIRPLANES IN THE U. S. A. CARRIED MORE THAN TWICE AS MANY PASSENGERS—746,946 WITH FATALITIES TO 15 PASSENGERS AND AND 14 CREW AND ONE LOST ON GROUND, AN ADVANTAGE OF 22 TO 1 IN FAVOR OF AIRLINE TRAVEL DESPITE THE FALSE IMPRESSION PEOPLE MAY HAVE GAINED FROM TIME'S PLAYING UP OF AIRLINE MISHAPS.
J. R. THORNTON Aurora, Ill.
Reader Thornton should recheck his figures. The only Department of Commerce statistical breakdown regarding marine accidents in 1935 is for the period June 30, 1935 to June 30, 1936. According to the Department of Commerce, during that period, 239,816,321 people traveled on U. S. ships. Of these 338 died, 273 by suicide, personal accident, natural causes. The remaining 65 fatalities were among crews. Fact is, no passenger lost his life on a U. S. ship in that time from a preventable cause.—ED.
Sweet Racket
Sirs:
The following information concerning a local police trap operated in Bay St. Louis, Miss. is of interest to all commercial travellers who have occasion to pass through that State. In publishing this warning you will be doing thousands of travelling men a great favor and help to break up this racket. The following is an exact and truthful resume of what happened to me. For substantiation I enclose the official documents in the case.
As you know, some States, particularly in the West, require all commercial vehicles from out-of-state to register and pay a fee to cross the State. Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, etc. all have control stations at the State line with State officers on duty. All commercial vehicles are assessed according to weight and type of vehicle. These fees are reasonable and I have heard no complaints from other salesmen about these States. Mississippi, however, is operating a vicious racket which is taking thousands of dollars a year from salesmen. And I mean the salesmen, not the companies they work for; for as a rule, while the company pays all interstate fees, the salesman must pay his own fine.